Doing Brunch With the Bush Twins and Hager

April 5, 2006

The day after secretly running in the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10-k April 1, President George W. Bush's 24-year-old twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, refueled with brunch at Zeus Gallery Café on North Belmont, along with Jenna's beau, Henry Hager, and two of Hager's friends.

The party of five sat at a table up front next to the window. Despite the twins' visibility in a small, crowded restaurant, few patrons appeared to notice them. Two well-dressed older couples sat at an adjacent booth having brunch before going to the opera. They ogled the table as grandparents might. Likewise, a father and son who dined while looking over college materials pointed the famous out, however quietly.

Jenna Bush wore a mauve and maroon Bohemian-style top, jeans and gold lamé Michael Kors heelless sandals, which she kicked off under the table. Barbara Bush sported layered tanks and silver hoop earrings with her hair pulled back. Hager wore khakis and an exceedingly bright Kelly green polo shirt — which had a noticeable dirty spot on the back — with a white T-shirt underneath.

Jenna Bush ordered a vegetarian omelet. Barbara Bush ordered an arugula salad followed by a dish called the eggs Chesapeake — a variation of eggs Benedict but with crabmeat. Both women drank coffee.

Hager, however, kicked back with two Bloody Marys while his friend had two screwdrivers. Jenna Bush insisted on driving since she'd had only two cups of coffee. When it came time to pay the tab, the young men split the cost, refusing Barbara Bush's credit card. She remarked of the gesture: "That's so gentlemanly." — Brandon Walters